The New Continental Congress
One of the side-effects of growing up in a family that made a tradition of watching the movie of the musical 1776 every year is that I've come to have a strong respect for the Continental Congress, that body of men from across the colonies gathered on their own initiative to respond to the acts of England on the people of proto-America, and to figure out what kind of cohesive whole-if any-this continent would be. Of course, they eventually evolved into a more typical political body (that would be today's Congress, in case you're having trouble keeping up), but once upon a time it was the gathering of the best minds in each of they colonies/states, given carte blanche, and armed only with their own ideals and the basics of parliamentary procedure, to figure out just what we were going to be.
That's the idea that intrigues me most about the gathering. It was (if you'll allow me to mix American epochs) the Wild West of our government; a terain where there were few hard-'n'-fast rules, and participants were just as likely to kill each other as co-draft a law. And I often wonder, what if such a thing were to happen today (minus, ideally, the "kill each other" part)? What if the greatest minds of our age got together and tried to figure out what we were going to be next? No obligation to hew to the traditions of the Founding Fathers, no being mired in 230 years of What's Gone Before. Who would be there? What would they come up with? I'm quite sure I don't know, but I think it would be amazing to see what it might become.
For now, let's put a question out there: Who do you think should/would attend this hypothetical new Congress? I'll likely come up with a few names later, but I'm curious what other people think. So go "Kill some time" and let me know what you think, or launch a mini-meme and post it on your own blog.
That's the idea that intrigues me most about the gathering. It was (if you'll allow me to mix American epochs) the Wild West of our government; a terain where there were few hard-'n'-fast rules, and participants were just as likely to kill each other as co-draft a law. And I often wonder, what if such a thing were to happen today (minus, ideally, the "kill each other" part)? What if the greatest minds of our age got together and tried to figure out what we were going to be next? No obligation to hew to the traditions of the Founding Fathers, no being mired in 230 years of What's Gone Before. Who would be there? What would they come up with? I'm quite sure I don't know, but I think it would be amazing to see what it might become.
For now, let's put a question out there: Who do you think should/would attend this hypothetical new Congress? I'll likely come up with a few names later, but I'm curious what other people think. So go "Kill some time" and let me know what you think, or launch a mini-meme and post it on your own blog.